12 Apr 2018

Commuters in Gaborone have expressed worry over the recent hike in transport fares which was announced at the beginning of the month.

With many saying a rise in taxi fares is an unwelcome burden on their pockets, tertiary school students and employees of some popular retail stores cry the loudest.

The new fares came into effect earlier this month with a P1 hike from P4 to P5 for a shared taxi, P25 for a special taxi per trip and a 50 thebe hike from the initial P3.50 to make it P4.00 for combis.

BOPA reporters took a trip to the Gaborone Bus and Taxi Rank to get views of both commuters and taxi operators on the matter. A university student, Ms Tsitsi Nthomang complained that taxis were the only viable transport for young people who did not have cars, and was worried that the hike in price would hit hard on her living allowance.

“It’s really expensive, I spend like P18 a day to go to school and back. It has even limited my movements around town,” she said.

Ms Nthomang is of the view that the prices could have remained unchanged until student living allowances and salaries had been increased, saying it strained their pockets. Another commuter, Ms Gorata Nkomo said the hike caught them off guard since it had come at a time when they had already planned their budgets coming from a long Easter holiday.

 “As time goes on we will adjust and get used to the new prices,” she said.

Another source, an employee of Choppies stores who preferred to be anonymous said with the little wages retail stores paid their employees, the hike had seriously tempered with their thin budgets as they were now left with nothing to take home after paying rent, overheads and now an increased taxi fare.

Ms Otsile Lentswe said for a long time she felt the burden of the operators, saying she could not even remember the last time the fares were increased.

“The increment did not hit me hard as I was expecting that to happen, I just had to adjust my budget and move on. For a very long time these people have been crying for a hike, I think it comes at the right time even though I think it could have been a little more than what has been offered,” she said.

One of the taxi drivers, Mr Thatayaone Phetogo said the hike would not solve their cries as taxi operators as there were many taxis than passengers forcing taxis to spend most of the day at the taxi rank than on the road making money.

He further said passengers had now resorted to ditching them for the combis which charge them P1 less than that of taxis, saying his wish was for the prices for both taxi and combi to match so that they had an equal share of the cake.

On the issue of them charging commuters exorbitant prices, he said they did come across some of their members who did so, and that appropriate measures were taken to curb that from re-occurring.

“Many times it is not the taxi operators who charge these prices but some pirating illegal taxis guys who in the quest of making quick cash charge commuters these amounts,” Mr Phetogo said.

Another taxi operator, Mr Obert Moeng said he was happy with the hike, saying since the increment was introduced, they had something better to safe as profits.

He further said the last time fares were increased was in 2010 and that for eight years the fares had not been able to sustain the industry as the cost of living had gone up.

“From the last hike, fuel prices have been going up and we have not benefited a thing from that since there are a lot of factors involved in this business. The cost of vehicle maintenance, the cost of permit renewals and police charges, yet there has never been any corresponding increase in fares the last eight years,” he said. ENDS